The Situation
by firevixen73
Summary: Things did not go as planned when Draco Malfoy was told to kill the Headmaster and break the Deatheater's into Hogwarts 6th year. Instead of obeying he has asked the Order for sanctuary which could potentially change the course of the war. This leads to new relationships, trials among friends and a few well placed punches to the ferrets face when Hermione is assigned as his contact
1. Chapter 1

Hermione was not one to hold a grudge. Her logical nature and belief in the scientific method was far to ingrained in her psyche for that. To hold a grudge was to deprive oneself of a friendship and possible future opportunities. It also took far more mental concentration than most people realized. She, whose pride stemmed from her ability to divert her attentions appropriately was not about to let something as simple as childish resentment halt any possible progress towards success. She was one on the other hand to remember vivid details of her past. She would never simply forget what others had done to her. That in itself would be extremely illogical as well. It was why, Hermione Granger, brains of the so called Golden Trio, was having a hard time wrapping her head around this whole situation. In truth it baffled her, because the circumstance before her held no perceivable logic at all.

Not the first time since entering this room she had found herself wishing that Professor McGonagall was present. Hermione had always respected the woman for her keen intellect and no nonsense attitude, something that was certainly lacking in this particular situation.

From what little they had given her in terms of a plan, Dumbledore had been approached by Draco Malfoy through Severus Snape. The familiar boy was seeking asylum with the Order away from all the dark magic in his life. He needed not only a familiar contact but also someone to heal him as he pretended to complete the non disclosed task given to him by the greatest evil of their time. A task she was not permitted to know about due to its confidential nature. And of course she was to discuss this with no one other than them.

Hermione blinked repeatedly as she attempted to once again process everything that had just been explained to her. Still, the picture before her did not change and the two other individuals in the room continued to expect a swift answer of agreement. She had half a mind to wait an hour and check for a polyjuice potion.

The child in her that had worked so hard to please those in authority felt the need to cave, but the woman who had been facing dark wizards since her first year in school understood standing ones ground around powerful creatures. "Professor, if this is some type of joke I really do not appreciate it."

The kind hearted Albus Dumbledore smiled, clearly starting to recognize this would not be a smooth conversation. His long beard moved slightly with each word coming out of his mouth. It had once reminded her of what she could only assume to be a loving, yet totally senile, grandfather. After this moment the loving part was diminishing and the senile portion was quickly taking over. Despite that Hermione immediately understood by the look he was giving that every word he spoke was true. He regretted asking her, he knew that she was the last person who probably wanted to do this job but in his eyes she was by far the best option. Briefly she wondered if maybe it wasn't a polyjuice potion and instead he needed to get his prescription checked. Because he was clearly seeing things wrong. "Miss Granger, I assure you that you are the best candidate. You are a well-equipped potions student and have been studying under Madam Pomfrey long enough to help in this situation. I trust no one more with this task than I do you."

Hermione reviewed the so called 'situation' in her head while trying to come up with any other possible scenario. Millions came to her mind. The first viable option was Snape since he seemed more than capable of doing this particular task. Dumbledore had already explained why the potions master was unable to complete this maddening request from hell though, even if Hermione thought it bullocks. That meant that someone else needed to fill his shoes. There was always the possibility of an outside helper. The very same Healing teacher, Madam Pomfrey, Dumbledore seemed to speak so fondly of could do it as well. In fact, she would be a much better match. Hermione had been studying healing for what, less than a year? Madam Pomfrey had been doing it for a heck of a lot longer. Merlin, anyone but her could do this and to a better degree. Forget the greater good, a girl had her limits. Again, she resolved herself to follow her instinct. Right now her instinct was telling her what a failure this entire predicament would be. "You know," Hermione paused briefly as she again considered the best approach to turn them down, "I think I will pass."

Needless to say no one had been expecting that particular response. The elder man's face twisted a little as the shock settled in. Hermione Granger had never said 'no' to a teacher before and he had obviously been counting on her familiar eagerness.

"Miss Granger please, I understand that this is not easy-" started Dumbledore but Hermione was hearing none of it.

For the first time in her entire stay at Hogwarts, no, her entire time interacting with teachers, Hermione interrupted a respected professor. It seemed to be a brand new day, one where grades no longer mattered because Hermione was to shocked to filter a response. "No I don't think you do. He is nothing but a foul git. Not once during my entire time here has he ever called me by my actual name. I can count on one hand how often he has used my family one along with that. Every other time he has had anything to do with me I have been mudblood, or beaver brow or even mudbitch which has become his new favorite. I have been tormented, taunted and personally sabotaged by him for the better part of my life. I would never, and I mean never wish him harm but this is something I cannot in good faith participate in."

Dumbledore stood still, no anger in his pose but a slight tone of disapproval. "I understand that you and Mister Malfoy have not had the best of histories together but he has come to the Order for help. You are the most qualified."

Hermione felt her scowl grow. How dare he put this on her? It wasn't her duty to save Malfoy. Heck, it wasn't even her responsibility to like him. Her part in all of this was to help the world survive, not someone who would rather leave her for dead. If she was going to sacrifice her time and energy it was going to be to stop Voldemort, not coddle the blond haired snake bent on ruining her. All her pent up anger, all the times she had stopped Harry from hexing the living daylights out of the royal ferret seemed worthless now. She just should have let Harry finish him off years ago. If she had then Hermione could have avoided years of torment, month's worth of arguments and this very awkward moment. " Do you know what it is like to be told how worthless you are day in and day out? I couldn't walk down a hallway without him casting an enchantment to scatter my books or a curse to frizz my hair. Draco Malfoy is the definition of what it means to be a bully and I cannot believe that in some unfathomable moment of clarity he has seen the error of his ways."

Oddly enough, Snape was the one to speak this time. Up until this point he hadn't said one word. When she was originally summoned to the head master's office Hermione watched as he stood there like a statue. As she sat down the man had not blinked. While Dumbledore made the ridiculous request the man did not so much as flinch. Nothing seemed to move him. Up until this point it was one less person to argue with, "Miss Granger, despite your relationship with my godson you are a potential member for the Order. This is an assignment."

Her eyes narrowed briefly. She had no intention of getting expelled but she would not be cowed into this, "You are one of the brightest teachers here professor, I think you and I both know this would never succeed. He would sooner curse me than allow me to see him in a vulnerable state. Do not pretend I am some last hope to stop Voldemort from rising."

"Mister Malfoy-" started the man but was cut off by the tenacious student before him.

"Has multiple resources available to him both through his own means and the order members. I assure you, none of which who have our same history. What you are asking is not just wrong when reflecting on the last few years but a betrayal to my best friend. You asked that I keep this secret; that I speak of this to no one other than who is in this room. I could get over my issues with Malfoy if I somehow believed it would be helpful. But I will not lie to Harry…ever. What he needs right now are those he can trust not a supposed friend sneaking behind his back to help a venomous snake that is probably lying." She countered bravely, her lion heart roaring for all to hear.

Severus Snape was not prepared for the young witches' outburst. Despite her know-it-all persona she was one of his best students. She was smart, usually quiet unless demanding to provide answers to questions he had asked others and kept her two friends out of enough mischievousness to prevent the walls of Hogwarts from crumbling in. Severus Snape found that he did not like this new twist of events. With a scowl to fit Salazar Slytherin the potions master did something he had never done, he engaged in battle with a student. "Watch your tongue when you speak to me."

While Severus had not yelled Albus was more than aware of the anger rolling off of his longtime friend. There was more than one thing wrong with this situation though, something that Severus had not accounted for. Hermione Granger was not the average witch. She would not cower, she would not falter. The imposing figure of the black cloaked death eater with the ability to turn you into a toad did nothing to deter the infamous witch. No, she was much too brilliant for that.

She was smart enough to realize that Harry would be turning of age this summer. That Dumbledore had appeared weaker since the start of the term two months back. That this was likely their last year at Hogwarts before another wizarding war broke out. She had spent more time that she could count going over every book in the library that touched on defensive wards and healing spells. She recognized the need to be prepared and focused, even if everyone continued to tell them that children should not be involved.

Hermione Granger did not have time to help past enemies claiming to want out of the death eater life in the middle of all of this happening. Who by the way was probably a spy out to kill her and those she loved. "Draco has an aunt and a cousin he has never met, they can take him in. If he has truly changed and isn't just running away from a problem then let him prove it by living with them. Let him be something other than the prat he has proven himself to be."

Snape cut in to her solution with a hiss, "He must stay in school to continue his cover. His family is as much hostage as he was over the summer. If the Dark Lord thinks for one moment he is no longer working towards the tasks assigned to him they will be killed. Furthermore his peers are the children of some of the Dark Lord's most loyal men. We do not know if the other children have been recruited or have been assigned to watch him."

More secrets she thought. More secrets had continued to plague this entire broken system because throughout all of this they had not shared what his mission was. They had thought it important to keep from the person they were asking for help from what she would be potentially helping to prevent. With a determined look in her eyes Hermione continued to stand her ground, "I appreciate his position but my answer is the same. You cannot ask me to protect Harry and lie to him in the same go. You cannot put me in the position to betray his trust for something so ridiculous. Not only it is unfair but it is also wrong. Draco Malfoy has options; I am just not one of them."

Professor Dumbledore seemed to understand that she was done with this conversation. Despite the multiple arguments they could have made with her he accepted her truth. With a wave of his hand he motioned towards the door. The familiar statue moved briefly as if in waiting for her to enter the stairway. Nodding her own head Hermione tried not to think of the disappointment they were both feeling in her. Lines needed to be drawn and this was one of them. If Draco Malfoy really did need help the Order would not leave him out to dry. They would protect him another way. But they had asked her the impossible. She could have looked after him; she could have found a way to be his contact. In asking her to keep it from Harry though she had felt her faith in them crumble. If there was one thing she had learned in her time here at Hogwarts it was how precious friends were, and how quickly they could be taken away.

She would never betray him. Not even for the Order.

* * *

Hermione found herself sitting in her Astronomy class later that night when she felt her mind wandering to her discussion with the head master of the school. She knew why it was happening because the person why typically sat two spots to her left and one row up was missing. Draco Malfoy rarely missed a class and this last month had been as if he did not even participate in school. Now she understood part of the reason as to why. He was busy working on whatever project Voldemort thought only an underage teenager could do.

Internally she scoffed at how ridiculous that sounded. The man scared the living daylights out of her and in reading about him it was clear he was as brilliant as he was absolutely insane. That in itself made him an incredibly dangerous person. Then one added the world domination factor with no fondness towards anyone other than pure bloods. It was a messed up theology given what she had dug up on his own history. The logical side of her reckoned that those things mattered less when someone powerful was openly letting you express your hatred towards another group.

Carefully her eyes drew back to the spot Malfoy normally sat. Astronomy was an elective course, and one of the only ones she had with him where neither of their peers were present. They were mostly surrounded by Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's. Would anyone be attempting to give him his work? Or turn in the assignments?

Frowning Hermione wondered if Dumbledore was even requiring work be completed. Almost as instantly she dismissed the thought. If they were worried enough about pretense then the other teachers would have the same usual standards for an ill student. Still if whatever theoretical task was concerning enough to make him turn tail on his upbringing did studies even matter to him? This of course led to the question of what this task was. Given that Malfoy had been assigned it she could only guess it was related to the school or Harry. This also explained why neither teacher wanted to tell her what it was. No way would she keep something like his possible safety from said friend.

Glancing up at the board Hermione quickly calculated that she knew what was being taught from her readings and that the class was about to be over. Tapping her quill against her parchment Hermione suddenly found herself beyond curious.

Which was incredibly frustrating.

She did not want to be curious about Draco sodding Malfoy.

She bit her lip in question. After a few seconds she came to the conclusion that a little investigation would not hurt. A few minutes later the teacher had dismissed the class and instructed them straight to bed due to the late hour. Watching as her peer's left Hermione lingered before walking to the teacher. Professor Sinistra paused briefly before asking, "Yes Miss Granger?"

With her determination in play Hermione asked, "Professor I noticed that Malfoy was not present, and has not been for a few classes now."

The woman raised an eye brow but did immediately comment. Perhaps she knew nothing about their history because the teacher responded a few seconds later as if Hermione was a long time friend of the boy's, "Mister Malfoy has been quite ill all year, much of his work is sent to me late and often times incomplete. We do what we can to assist though. My dear, are you seeing him later? I have a few readings for him."

Hermione shook her head as she backed away from the situation. Glancing back down to the familiar staircase she pointed. "No, I was just worried. Daphne would be though, I am sure she would be able to drop them off in the Slytherin common rooms."

The professor smiled a genuine and endearing smile, "It is nice you know, to see different houses interacting. I find the rivalry boorish and hurtful more than not. I say keep it to the house cup and the quidditch matches."

Hermione did not bother correcting the assumption and found it refreshing to have an adult in this school disengage from the rivalry. If she was called the Gryffindor Princess one more time as the other houses made roaring noises around her she was going to punch someone.

The teacher turned back around and began organizing her papers. Before Hermione could make her exit the woman stated, "Miss Hermione, it is just an observation but I have found that when I give the assignments to Miss Greengrass they never seem to reach him. Out of curiosity I placed a tracking spell on some assignments a few weeks ago and found them in the rubbish bin outside my door. An accident I am sure."

Hermione saw the flicker of concern in her astronomy teachers eye. With a direct line of sight to Hermione alone the woman stated, "Whatever illness he has seems to have made him an outcast in his house. If you are able, another friend stopping by might be good for him."

Hermione drew in a breath and hurried out the door with her items. Halfway down the staircase she started reflecting on what she had heard. Her ending conclusion was that if this was a scam, it was a damn intricate one.

* * *

The following two mornings left Hermione feeling restless and irritated. She had attempted to block out all conversations and thoughts related to Draco Malfoy. This was no easy task given Harry's obsession with him and Ron's egging the boy-who-lived on. She wanted to murder them both half the time but reminded herself that Harry was needed to save the world and Ron was, well no words could describe him. He was either the love of her life or potentially the worst decision she could make romantically. Given the heartbreak that had already been settling in with his budding relationship with Lavender she was leaning towards both at different parts of the day.

She debated telling Harry about the meeting with Dumbledore as well. Since she had no real information and speculation was what already drove her friends mad, currently Hermione was keeping it to herself. If she had anything more than him asking the Order for help she would pull him aside and let him do what he wanted with the information. Right now though it would probably just cause another fight and they had enough of those around that stupid book of his.

Thinking of the thing automatically caused her to growl in frustration. Maybe if he actually shared the thing with her and showed her that it was not a dark cheating artifact they would have less problems. As of right now though all she knew was that it contained dark spells and tricks to skipping steps in potions. Who the hell knew what kind of consequences that would have in the end.

Hermione sat down in her usual spot across from the gossiping boys and grabbed herself a role of bread to butter. Halfway into the bite Ron looked at her, "Blimey Hermione, you sleeping okay?"

Her eyes narrowed. After taking a small swallow she looked him dead center in the eyes, "I don't know Ronald, you get hit with a bludger lately?"

Harry automatically laughed at that one and her expression calmed at his clear joy. It was rare to see that now since Sirius had died. He was miserable the majority of the time and clearly felt a world of expectations on him. Once Harry calmed he stated, "Right to the face yesterday when he was practicing."

Ron nudged him, "Shut it Harry, I was bloody brilliant up until that point. Stupid thing caught me off guard. I'm way too tired with all this defense training Mad Eye wants us to do. He even came up to the castle three days ago to wake Harry and me up in the middle of the night. Biggest scare I have had all year waking up to that face."

Hermione laughed because she figured that would be rather terrifying. The ex-aurorer was taking Harry's training personal but was extremely limited on what he could do. He had come up with more than a few drills, which he continued to call 'games' to keep the kids from Dumbledore's Army engaged. In reality they were pretty much ways to torture everyone without Molly Weasley being able to say anything because she did not have regular access to Hogwarts. Hermione found herself appreciating it though; someone looking after Harry and trying to bridge the gap in their defense education. At the same time she was incredibly thankful that the wards kept the one eyed man from entering the girls dormitory.

Harry looked up at her expectantly, "How is healing pre-apprentice going?"

Once again Hermione was thankful for his interest. They had started off the year arguing over that book which had left them frayed at the ends when having to deal with one another. With a sigh Hermione considered what to tell them, "I enjoy it but I become a bit overwhelmed when I think about why I am having to learn so quickly."

Ron immediately became somber and Harry's face darkened. She knew it wasn't the right thing to bring up but with the loud conversations around them and their schedules she was taking her opportunity. "I know I am the only one with enough patience to learn which is why I volunteered, but since I started I cannot help but notice things I used to ignore."

Harry glanced around in a paranoid fashion, "Careful Hermione, we have snakes standing to our right. They are younger but…"

Hermione pressed on, "I just mean that I get it a bit more now, why you question everything. Why you find something small and fixate on it until you get an answer. Before, for me at least, it was just information from books but now I see it carrying over to diagnoses and people."

As if the Gryffindor house itself was telling them to stop this conversation a pair of arms was thrown around her red headed friend which startled all of them. Ron quickly fell off the bench from the force of it and Harry scooted as if crawling from a wild animal. Once Hermione saw the purple painted nails and heard the higher pitched squeal of delight she found herself wishing it was a wild animal. Wild animals were put outside with all of the other loud creatures. With a huff she turned to Harry, "I am going to the library. I will try to make it to Gryffindor practice tonight but not if it is raining."

She quickly grabbed the rest of her bread roll and nodded goodbye as Ron who was being gushed over by her roommate. She was well aware that Lavender liked the boy, was frustrated how Ron was starting to show her interest back. She was not about to sit around and watch it all unfold. She could tolerate a lot but this was something Hermione knew she had every right to attempt avoiding.

Harry just gave her an understanding nod and remained seated with his friend.

She scurried out of the dinning area and straight for her familiar nook in the library, her roll quickly gone as she ate while walking. Many people believed that she lived in the space but that was only because she preferred the knowledge of books over the gossip of people. Hermione had never found the conversations of her classmates all that interesting. She appreciated proper hair care and who was the cutest boy of their year, but that information in no way assisted her. It was unclear if this was because of her own nature or her muggleborn status. Drawing in a breath as she found her newest secluded spot, Hermione contemplated this theory further.

She made it look easy, this transition and assimilation into the magical community but it was not. Her first visit to gather school supplies quickly demonstrated just how out of her depth she was, just how far behind everyone else she would be. There would be things that magical children knew that Hermione would never think possible. Things that they took for granted because it was part of how they were raised. She in no way believed this somehow made them better or more deserving of magic but it did make her want to bridge that gap. To shorten that distance and advantage others had since birth. So she studied, she worked hard and filled her natural born quest for knowledge.

It was hard initially to be teased for it but now she just saw it as part of her identity. Maybe she was the one student inside as everyone else prepared for the rare sunny day in over week. But in her book it was worth it.

The sounds of someone laughing filled her ears, the distant noise drawing her in as Hermione realized she may not be as alone as believed. Looking to her right a window had been propped open and a few students were passing around a quaffle. It was a quick flash where she wanted to join them, but it passed. She hated most sports anyways and never appreciated being bad at something. Let alone in front of others. Closing the window and turning back to her nook Hermione paused as she passed one of the many forgotten areas. Rarely did anyone come back this way which is why she had chosen it, not even her friends could find her and ask for help on writing an essay they knew about two weeks ago. So it was odd to think of others nearby let alone the sound of frantic whispering voices.

After a few more minutes she creeped over to the familiar tone and she saw three Slytherins standing around in a small circle. She knew them well since they were from her year. Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson looked around guiltily before resuming their discussion. Immediately intrigued Hermione shuffled closer to try and hear what she could. It was muffled and a few words were impossible to make out but it was enough.

"Father was clear, the Malfoy's are out of favor and we are not to align with them," spoke Nott.

Pansy bit her lip, "But it is Draco, we have known him since forever. What we are doing is wrong."

Nott glared, "You really want to get caught in the middle of this? Of being dragged down right along with him? Because if other people hear you say more that is exactly what will happen. He won't succeed in whatever this mission is anyways and we have our own family to think about. Father says the Dark Lord will be looking for a new favorite once this is all over."

Blaise scoffed, "You are all mad to be following him. My mother was right to have us live out of the country."

Pansy immediately glared, "Shut up Blaise, I don't see you doing anything."

He snapped at her, "Fuck you Parkinson. He is my friend but I don't have a death wish, not with how you all have been treating him. I don't appreciate the idea of getting jumped at any moment by my own house just to make my parent happy."

Theodore Nott growled, "Father was clear. If this keeps my family safe and in favor of the Dark Lord then I will continue to beat the shit out of anyone I needed to."

Hermione felt herself gasp and take a step back. Her mind went immediately back to her conversations with various teachers over the last few days. She had checked in with a more in the most discrete way she could manage. They all stated very similar things regarding Malfoy's help, but none had given her the insight that Professor Sinistra had about the relationships among his housemates. Her mind went back to the idea of this being an elaborate trap. It was odd to find them back here, perhaps it was staged, but there had been no way for them to tell this is where she would be. Perhaps she was intruding on their secret spot instead of the other way around. She had only identified this nook a week or so ago, and she was supposed to be in the great hall with her friends.

Drawing in another breadth she excused herself from her eavesdropping and walked back to her little table. Instead of pulling out her books she just sat there as she contemplated what to do with this new found information.

* * *

Hermione had barely made it to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class in time. She had wasted her entire morning thinking about a stupid ferret and the problems he faced. So now she was routinely struggling with her time management and getting the back seat in every class due to near tardiness. And of all the classes she could not afford to be late to it was Snape's. While the man clearly hated Harry she had never had a positive interaction with him either. Given her recent dismissal of his godson their short interactions had become that much more tense.

Not three seconds before the class started she moved into a seat next to a fellow student. Professor Snape walked in not a moment later, cloak billowing as if death itself followed. She saw from the back Harry tense and rub his scar, the pain flaring every time he was around someone that he perceived as dangerous. Sometimes she wondered what powered that mark of his and shuttered. Having blinding pain in your head every time your magic perceived a threat was something she could do without.

The lesson started quickly though, this particular teacher never having been one for opening pleasantries. He started on protective measures and counter spells as if they had been practicing these defenses for years, not just hearing about them over the last two lessons. Another one of his qualities, he always expected others to do the reading before the lesson. It was never a trait she struggled with before this last week.

She concentrated on her own notes though and tried not to look to long at the man. Eye contact did entice predators after all. So focused on her work and determination to remain unnoticeable, because Snape's attention was never a good thing, she found herself writing notes without true comprehension of what was happening in the room. Halfway through the lesson though she found black boots and slicked back hair in front of her, arms crossed as if expecting an answer to something. The entire class was looking at her expectantly which means she had missed his question. "Miss Granger, identify and demonstrate the purpose of a protego maxima shield for the class. Unless of course your notebook continues to be more interesting than my lesson."

Her hackles rose but she pushed it down. She had known in her gut he would pick on her, it was bound to happen. Not only was she muggleborn, Harry Potter's friend but she had also stood up to him. Instead of cowering though she stood and did what the man expected her to fail at. They had just started learning about the more powerful shield spells; she was not yet supposed to be efficient in casting one. This was clearly a way he expected to show Hermione her place. With the familiar flick of her wrist that she had been practicing for over seven months she stated in a confident manner "_Protego Maxima_". The powerful shield immediately burst through her wand and engulfed a good half of the room in the protective bubble. The other student's went wide eyed in amazement, a few of them even clapping. She did not pay them any heed though and remained toe to toe with the teacher before her.

His gaze narrowed but did not show any surprise that she accomplished the task, "Shall you bow as well for your audience? Do give more of a show."

Keeping her temper in check, because he was baiting her again, Hermione began spouting additional knowledge if only to show that this was not a fluke, "If paired with the fianto duri and repelo inimicum incantation the barrier would become near impregnable as long as my magic lasted or I remained conscious. Those are not spells I have practiced though and would not want to put anyone in danger just to prove myself."

He continued to stare, his gaze just as hard as before. If anything his look seemed to take on a bit more at her words, "Those are advanced skills, well beyond the ability of a sixth year. How do you even know those combinations?"

She suppressed the leer at the skeptism on his face, "Actually, it was brought to my attention by you professor. In fourth year you identified a potion that could dissolve almost any protection shield if thrown against it. I was curious as to which ones it could not, so I researched on my own."

His eyes narrowed in almost disbelief, "You are telling me that you did not attempt those spells on your own and have been sitting on them for nearly two years?"

Hermione glanced at her friends, suddenly unsure where he wanted this discussion to go. After a few more blank faced peers were looking back at her and seeming just as confused with the banter, she turned to said professor. "No professor; that would be incredibly reckless from what I read. Those spells were way above my ability and I would want proper supervision as well as training before I would consider attempting."

He seemed to pause, a few curt words clearly on the tip of his tongue. He then moved back a bit to take a step away before stating, "A Gryffindor with self-control, that is a new one."

He turned back to the class before addressing them all, "Do thank your classmate for the extra work, a new assignment for the week. You will be writing and essay on the development, use and faults of the protego maxima spell. It is due next class and must beat least two full pages of parchment. This will not be a silly little second year's basic copy skills from a book in the library, or you will fail."

She heard the entire class groan as they considered the extra workload. Mentally berating herself, because she knew she just should have taken the 5 point deduction from Gryffindor he undoubtedly would have given her had she not been able to produce the spell, rather than stand her ground. Now she was going to be the source of complaints from her classmates.

Drawing herself in Hermione immediately began taking more thorough notes so as not to draw his ire again. She did not know how Harry dealt with the constant attention of this man.

The lecture finished and almost immediately upon dismissal her friends were by her side. They walked with her and she remained sandwiched between them. Predictably Ron was complaining about the extra work and Harry was complaining about Snape. Once they were in the hallway Ron stated, "Dumbledore should really do something about him."

Before she could say anything Harry added, "He is impossible to reach; I cannot get a hold of him unless I wait outside of his office for half the day."

Both boys blinked in unison as something dawned on them. "Wait?" said Ron.

Harry turned to her and nearly grabbed her shoulders, "Didn't he want to meet with you?"

Hermione immediately flushed at the attention and topic. So instead of answering properly like any good friend would she stated, "Have any of you seen Malfoy lately? I haven't seen him in any of our classes."

Harry immediately became distracted with the appropriately intense scowl as he stated, "The prat is probably ditching. It's like he doesn't find it important enough to pretend to be a member of society anymore."

Ron seemed to give her a side eye, knowing full well what she had done. While Harry was single-minded about the Malfoy heir Ron was not. Found him an awful human being who deserved to eat giant slugs the rest of his life, but not side tracked. She gave Ron a pleading look and watched as he let the topic drop. Over this last year the two of them had experienced a different sort of connection, what with the way they had to mind Harry. The two had developed an unspoken system of checks and balances together. She had thought that connection could lead to something more, that it had been going in that direction. His stupid interactions with the bimbo that was Lavender Brown said otherwise. Casually she massaged her temples. She knew better than this, than to be mad at someone for something so petty. She knew Lavender was not a total air head and had some really good spells in her belt. It did not make her any more tolerable though.

She mentally re-entered the conversation when she heard Harry make his next speculation about how Voldemort was recruiting kids. On how Draco Malfoy was probably a death eater. That thought nearly stopped her in her tracks. Was he? Had he been recruited? She had always dismissed Harry's wild assumptions but with all the pieces she had this week maybe he was not far off. Would Voldemort entrust someone with whatever task Malfoy had been given if the boy was not teaming with dark magic that was practically a leash? Harry had said the dark wizard could track and summon them through the mark.

Hermione gulped in anticipation but did not voice her concerns. She just walked with them to their next class and considered her options. The thought did cross her mind though that maybe seeing the ever elusive bully would help her in this curiosity. Maybe a reminder of how horrible he could be was needed. It wasn't until she finished her last class of the day that she opted to do something she shouldn't. Hermione Granger volunteered to do her prefect rounds in the dungeons, right next to the Slytherin dormitories.

* * *

Hermione was with her fellow prefect Anthony Goldstein. The fellow DA member was sharp as a whip and she trusted him enough from their time together usurping Dolores Umbridge that she knew he would have her back. He had not asked why she chose this route or how he of all people was being dragged into this. It came down to a few basic things though. Essentially he was physically strong and she was not dumb enough to put herself in danger only to rely on her status as a prefect.

Luckily it was twenty minutes into checking the halls that someone finally noticed them. It was the ever familiar Gregory Goyle walking down the darkened hallways. He stopped suddenly and blinked at them, as if surprised anyone other than their own colors would be walking this way. Malfoy may have made prefect as of last year but she could not guess as to the last time he showed for a meeting. And typically Slytherins were protective about being the ones to monitor their own house. It did mean that this section of the castle was less monitored than others.

Looking almost uncomfortable he stated, "What are you doing here Granger?"

Anthony stepped in, "And Goldstein. Come on Greg, I know she is pretty but you can at least be polite and acknowledge me."

Said Slytherin growled his response, "Shut up Goldstein, you are lucky I do not beat your face in."

The now ready to fight Ravenclaw stated, "You are lucky I do not write you up for being out past curfew."

Goyle scoffed, "It's not past curfew."

Anthony smirked, "It will be by the time I finish the report to the heads of houses. What should I say you were doing? Bullying a little Ravenclaw when I found you? Ripping up a painting?"

Hermione put a stop to this before it could get out of hand. Sometimes she forgot how antagonistic boys could be. "Anthony, while I acknowledge the needless protective gesture Gregory was just walking, probably to his dormitory. He has another five minutes to get back. So do not ask me to lie to corroborate this little story you two have going."

The boy frowned and crossed his arms but let it go. He did not move his position though, the protectiveness coming off in waves. Hermione saw the opening for a natural exit and stated, "Can you please check the next room? I will make sure he is heading back."

With a slightly defeated sigh Anthony trudged on over to the nearest room and loudly stated, "Get out Peeves!" a few crashing noises were heard as the wizard attempted to wrangle in the elusive prankster in the next room.

Shaking her head she stated, "You should be fine; I will make sure he does not do anything senseless."

The boy clearly wanted to scowl but some part of him recognized she had stood up for him when she did not have to. After a few more seconds, and getting up her own courage Hermione stated, "If you see Malfoy can you let him know too? I thought I saw him walking around earlier and the teachers are really tight about the rules this year what with everything that is happening."

She expected a mocking laugh at her looking out for Malfoy, as would probably be appropriate. Instead what she got was a worried flash across his face. His eyes glanced around longingly as if searching for his friend. It was too brief for her to make more of it though because he made eye contact with her seconds after, "You saw Draco?"

She shrugged while taking in every expression of his, the classmate not being quite as good at hiding his responses in comparison to his friends. "I saw a flash of blonde hair three rows down and it is the dungeons area which means Slytherin territory. I may not like him but I don't want anyone expelled."

The boy caught himself, finally realizing that he was expressing some form of emotion other than disgust to her, and let lose a sneer, "Whatever mudblood. If anyone should be kicked out of this school it is you. No need for trash in our castle."

She frowned at that but tried not to take the bait, "So much for being nice you twat. Just head back to your stupid dorm."

"Goyle!" said a new and unexpected voice. She should not be surprised but she was. Multiple prefects had stated that Slytherin's were out until the last minute since the start of the term. To think that they would run into only of their classmates would have been foolish.

To her surprise Theodore Nott was heading from a different hallway and looking at them questioningly. He had more than a bit of hate in his eyes as he glanced her over, clearly realizing that no one else was in the immediate hallway. With a smirk he stated, "Late night fuck?"

She wanted to slap him, she really did. Instead Hermione stated, "Prefect patrols, seems quite a few of my classmates are cutting it close."

Nott maintained his easy going but condescending attitude as he stated, "Our boy here was just helping us find our friend before turning in." Nott slung his arms around Goyle's shoulders, the beefy man making it harder to do but still possible.

Goyle growled, "Let's just go to the dorm, he can find his own way back. Draco isn't here."

Nott gave her a side eye as if wanting to press for more but then Anthony came out of the nearby room, "That stupid ghost nearly got me."

Instantly Anthony stopped as he looked at the scene before him. As if a new threat was involved all three men tensed. Apparently she wasn't worthy of being postured to. Nott's eye's narrowed again as he stated, "Come on Greg, wouldn't want a warning for just existing."

Both boys left after that, their posture still standing as aggressively as possible even as they walked away. Hermione turned with enough time to notice that Gregory Goyle slouched as if in defeat but only once Nott was far enough in the lead. She followed as his eyes darted to the hallway she had falsely mentioned his friend being down. The agony on his face was palpable even from this distance.

Anthony moved closer to her, "I stall long enough? You get what you wanted?"

Hermione glanced at her own comrade. She had let him know that once they ran into a more forward Slytherin that she would need him to make busy. Luckily his analytical mind deduced that something was brewing and no one outsmarted the brightest witch of their age. Looking back at the retreating figures she stated, "I don't think it was what I wanted, but I think it is what I needed."

Because unlike his classmates Gregory Goyle had never been a good liar, he was a bit too thick for that. So it came down to one basic conclusion. Draco Malfoy was defecting because it was finally real. Life had caught up with him and he was recognizing just how defenseless a man like Voldemort wanted people to be. Just how merciless he was even to those he claimed as his closest allies. Everything was coming to a head and not even Malfoy could hide from it.

* * *

**Firevixen73** – Re-wrote this story mainly because it was a one shot that I got such good responses on that I needed to bring it back. Hopefully everyone likes it and is still as big of a Harry Potter fan as I am!


	2. Chapter 2

Harry, Ron and Hermione were each taking a few moments out of their weekend to unwind. It was a ritual the three of them had agreed upon after a particularly long day of lessons followed by sneaking into the restricted section late at night. With Harry being encouraged to get closer to Slughorn and Ron being busy with his own keeper practices they were often ships passing in the night exchanging information. Hermione's mentor had thought it good to take a little bit of time each day to focus on themselves and do something normal. With that Hermione needed little motivation to convince her friends. No dark magic, no burning scars and no stupid potions book.

With that thought Hermione felt herself cringing just a bit. Even thinking about that book made her frown. Hermione desperately wished she had more time to research the edits made in the header and footnotes section of that blasted thing. While it was more than mildly annoying that Harry was besting her in a class Hermione recognized how much of her own pride contributed to her displeasure. She worked hard for her grades, and it felt like her best friend was cheating. And through the off handed notes by someone who sounded less than savory on top of it.

Glancing back at her book she found herself wishing she had grabbed something on the history of students over the last fifty years rather than Newt's latest updated edits to his tales on mythical beasts. Perhaps the mystery of the half-blood prince would be a better distractor than the constant thoughts of what the Order had decided to do with Draco Malfoy.

Glancing around she once again tried to clear her mind. Harry and Ron were sitting by the fire playing wizards chess. It was a brutish game in her opinion that had no point other than watching things destroy other things. Neither the game nor her readings seemed to be much of a distractor for her thoughts though and Hermione immediately tumbled back into the ideas she had been wanting to avoid.

"So," spoke Ron as he happily watched his queen shatter Harry's bishop, "we never did hear about how the meeting with Dumbledore went a few days ago?"

Hermione immediately felt her face flush a vibrant red. She had avoided it and Ron had pushed. Of all the people to not let things go Hermione had thought it would be Harry. She could not have been more clear at her regular misdirects every time it came back up. "That was days ago Ronald."

Hermione purposefully used his full name to scare the red head off the topic. It had always reminded Ron of his mother; the one thing that consistently cowed him into submission.

Instead of listening to her warning tone Ron shoved what appeared to be an EveryFlavoredBean into his mouth. Obviously it tasted satisfactory because he didn't spit it out. One never knew what they were getting with those. "So how did it go? He tell you anything important?"

Hermione slammed her book shut in a small bout of annoyance, "It was fine. Does anyone have an extra jumper? I'm cold."

Harry, who was not an idiot and could tell that she didn't want to talk, immediately looked around for his coat. Once he found it on the backside of the couch Harry tossed it to her playfully, "Give yours to another first year?"

Hermione lightheartedly scowled but was more than relieved for the change in topic, "It's not their fault that they don't know how cold a castle can get. Most have never been in one."

Ron rolled his eyes while shoving a few more beans into his mouth, "Is there anyone you wouldn't help? You do realize that a fourth of this school wants to kill us right? Maybe you should be more careful about who you give your things to."

Determined to ignore any advice given by Ron, because well it was Ron, she decided to do something a little more spirited. It wasn't normally her style but she was still mad about his dunderhead move for pushing info about the meeting all week. So with a flick of her wand, which was previously sitting next to her on the table, and a well spoken spell the beans in his mouth changed. In an instant Ron's face turned green in disgust. The beans quickly dropped out of his mouth, the slimy substance that was his slobber quickly joining them on the ground. "Charcoal? Really Monie?"

The red head quickly grabbed a nearby blanket in an attempt to rub the disgusting taste off of his tongue. Harry didn't even bother hiding his laugh. It wasn't often their favorite little witch got to a point where fighting was the best option but when she did it was beyond humorous.

Clutching his stomach Harry turned to his gloating friend, "Do it again!" He knew he sounded like a three year old but Merlin, she was hysterical when she wanted to be.

Ron, who was still wiping his mouth, turned to his two closest friends. Ron had a certain standard when it came to his food, mainly that no one mess with it unless they wanted serious payback. Perhaps it had to do with it always being in more limited supply while growing up, or maybe it was his bottomless pit of a stomach but a man had his standard. In a nearly offended way he clutched the bag of candy to his chest almost dramatically, "Do not do it again! Never mess with a man's food Hermione, it just 'aint right."

Harry, still thoroughly enjoying the situation, swiped his own batch of beans and tossed them in his mouth. Hermione, who wasn't done distracting herself from her previous conversation with the head of the Order, flicked her wand one more time with a gigantic smirk on her face while whispering the same spell. Harry immediately spit out his own beans into his hands. He looked down at the smoking and half chewed jelly beans in front of him. They were now a deliciously dark black color. With a cough, and what appeared to be the remnants of dust, Harry turned on his once upon a time ally, "Really?"

Hermione innocently twisted her wand through her ringlets, "You said to do it again.""

Harry and Ron both turned towards each other, their time practicing for Quidditch helping them to read each other even more than before. It was with one nod of the head that Hermione knew she was done for. They had interpreted her attempt to reprimand them for being boys as a declaration of war. Dear Merlin this was not what she had planned for the day. In a panic Hermione was instantly out of her seat and dashing across the common room. Harry and Ron were both right behind her in an attempt to catch the ever elusive woman.

Knowing exactly what they had planned along with the concept that she was the target Hermione cranked her mind into full gear. Her first mode of defense was to be smarter than her opponent. She quickly cast a charm from behind her back and watched as the Gryffindor blankets, usually resting peacefully on the cupboards above the mantle, fluttered down and wrapped themselves around her two friends like a strait jacket. She happily watched as both of them quickly became tangled and unable to move. It was only when both were wrapped securely in a cocoon that Hermione removed herself from the hiding place under the couch. With a giggle the blanket's tops moved downwards, revealing the faces of her best friends. Both were in a state of shock, temporarily blindsided that Hermione of all people would play such a dirty trick.

Harry, who knew his best female friend better than most, was less surprised than the red head. Despite her tendency to be portrayed as a bookworm Hermione had more than enough skill bottled up inside her. She doubted herself to much to use if effectively in the heat of the moment, but more skilled than any he knew.

His wand, which was strapped to his thigh thanks to the cradled position Hermione had placed him in, was now extremely limited. Well, Harry thought as he watched Ron struggle on the floor like a blind worm, two could play at that game.

"Incendio!" he shouted as loud as he could. He concentrated like his life depended on it, his wand movement being a little more restricted in his current position. It did not seem to matter because in an instant fire blasted from his wand's tip and the blanket around him lit up like a tree. Her panic was overwhelming as she thought of her best friend fried to a delightful little crisp in an effort to unbound himself from the blanket.

"Aguamenti!" screamed Hermione as she pointed her wand at the idiot in front of her. In an instant Harry was drenched in water, looking as if he had been dumped directly in the black lake. Water dripped off him in waves, the upturn on his smile causing the droplets to cascade around his face handsomely. In righteous fury she stomped up to him, "Harry James Potter you are not permitted to light yourself on fire!"

The same previously mentioned Harry Potter was, as indicated earlier, not stupid. His assessment of his friend was on point, and Hermione would never permit him to be truly hurt. His clothes were singed but he remained unburned himself. Laughing briefly he stated, "Hermione, I don't know what you mean."

She was hearing none of it. With the familiar flick of her wrist the second boy was released from the hold, the blankets dropping around their feet. Before she could properly scold him Harry lunged for her. Despite his seeker reflexes Hermione managed a quick dodge to the right. With a humph she crash landed on the couch, the cushions catching her. She didn't have that much time to gather herself since Ron was nearly on top of her with what she could only assume was a transfigured blanket. It was knitted, nothing like it would ever be found in Hogwarts, that and the name 'Ron' was plastered in big letters. It very much looked to be something his mother had made for him.

Her eyes widened as the situation dawned on her. With terror she couldn't believe how the tables had turned, "No, you two cannot do this to me. It was a stupid joke and you two are taking this way to far."

Ron snickered, "You heard Mad-Eye, us kids need to be prepared."

"That is no reason to instigate a stupid game of Snatchers you two! Don't you dare lie; I see the look in your eyes." She looked around in panic while attempting to fix the situation that she had started. Hermione would have stuck to her book and continued to pout if she would have known this was coming. Stupid Moody and his inability to let sleeping dogs stay sleeping! Oh no, he just had to create a simulation to recreate running from Death Eaters. Whatever happened to their peaceful time where they didn't think about the end of the world?

Out of the corner of her eye Hermione watched as Harry's foot twitched, "Hermione Granger, prepare to be snatched."

It was like the firing of a cannon before a game, the gauntlet laid down and cheering from the crowd.

Despite her reluctance to take part in this she wasn't about to lose. Hermione Granger did not lose, mainly because she refused to participate in things where she might demonstrate poorly. This logic was one of the many reasons she did not participate in sports. But if they wanted to initiate a game, then she was forced to play. With a defeated reluctance Hermione turned and ran. With only one flick she cast a half attempt at a rebound charm. From a side mirror Hermione sprinted further as she saw Ron's skin turned a bright blue color.

With false bravado she had spent years developing after her first year facing Voldemort's men Hermione walked down the hallways before her. Ten minutes passed as she went through hallway after hallway, skipping stairs in an attempt to confuse any informants they recruited. Undoubtedly the others were being informed that a Snatching game was underway. No possible way had their commotion not drawn others into the common rooms which would lead to the start of the story. Bets were probably being set up right now. Well, as the Muggleborn she was going to have to show the Purebloods up. Briefly she wondered who had taken up her cause, especially when DA members found out that for the first time ever her and Harry were on opposite teams.

The Muggleborn's job was to practice defensive spells so she could count on Luna and Neville to bet on her, they studied together almost daily so both knew how apt she was. Her and Katie Bell often practiced together down at the lake so she also knew how capable Hermione was. Ginny was a toss up since Harry was on the mock Death Eater team. Then again so was Ron and everyone in the school knew that they loved going at it with each other. Dean Tomas and Seamus were a bust, they would never give up the chance to practice some more active spells, since that was the main purpose of that side, and in case more players were needed they would be first in line. Lavender typically opted out, but had been spending so much time on Ron since the summer Hermione was unsure what to think.

She made a quick turn and was surprised to watch as one of the suits of armor stepped directly in her path. Almost in sync the twin on the other side of the hall did the same, swords drawn but not in an offensive position. She stalled almost immediately. It was a well-known fact that the castle was semi sentient. The likelihood of a student having strong enough spells to overcome whatever magical protections were in play was laughable. Whatever this was, it was not part of the snatchers game. It was a semi comfort if only because the castle attacking her seemed like horrible odds when it came to survival.

She tried stepping around them but they moved parallel to her. She tried stepping backwards but was stopped by the familiar sound of clanking metal to her back. Glancing around two more empty suits had moved behind her from further down the opposite hall. Sweating slightly she stated, "Well Peeve's usually just throws parts of the castle at you so….". Just as she was contemplating her next move all four soldiers raised their sword arm to their side and pointed down another hallway.

She glanced down it cautiously and turned her head back to the nearest suit. "Down there? I am guessing that is where you want me to go?"

The soldier's did not nod or give any indication other than to remain perfectly still. Their arms still outstretched with swords pointing further down. She took a few steps in that direction wanting to see what happened, but nothing did. Curiosity getting a foothold in her mind Hermione decided to follow this breadcrumb. When she was halfway down the hall she suddenly heard more metal clashing. Twirling around she watched as all four suits of armor moved in front of the hallway, backs to her. Their sword points were settled on the ground in a familiar standing guard motion. Apparently she was not to be followed.

A few more minutes past and she was not surprised to see additional suits reach out from their post and point her in one direction or the other. What she was surprised about was the lack of moving paintings. These were all stationary as if placed in a statist of some kind.

There was no dark hallway or dead end for her to find. In fact it was not until the various suits had her repeatedly turning around and passing a certain door that she realized they wanted her to walk into it. After a few moments of keeping her hand on the handle she finally twisted and stepped in. What she found was a bit of a mystery. Back facing her, stood Severus Snape mulling over a bubbling potion.

He did not notice her which only showed how focused he was on whatever he was creating. Instead of immediately calling out she looked at the brightly lit room to take stalk of what she had been directed to. What she found was a few empty chairs scattered throughout and used bandages. "Professor?"

The speed in which he turned on her was shocking. In one sweep he had a wand pointed at her head and a nearly flipped over apothecary. After a few seconds of narrowed eyes he stated, "How did you get here Miss Granger? This hall is not open to students due to renovations."

Hermione felt her own wand hand twitch, "The castle seemed to think differently. I was not aware that the suits of armor could be sentient."

The man practically growled but seemed to hold it back, if only just. The sneer made its way onto his face though, so Hermione knew he was more than mildly annoyed at the situation. "Dumbledore continues to meddle I see."

She frowned, "I am sorry?"

His left eyebrow rose dangerously but his actual body remained still. Eventually his eyes shifted slightly to the right. The closed door immediately drew her eye and she wondered what was hidden behind it. Given the state of the room and confirmation of Dumbledore's involvement she could take a guess. Finally, once they met her gaze again the familiar haughty look appeared. "Sorry? For the inability to mind your own or for the inability to stop your mouth?"

Despite the framing it was no question. Her resolve hardened and that same sense of not caring suddenly crept up, "Sorry for intruding."

Surprisingly, his scowl did not darken. Then again, perhaps his scowl was now permanently placed and was unable to move. She was undoubtedly one of a few people on the top of his hit list. What did change was the lowering of his wand arm. Hermione guessed it had far less to do with her and a bit more to do with the side door he had glanced to earlier opening.

It was not a surprise when a blonde haired boy in black pants and a tailored shirt stepped through the entryway. She did not divert much attention to him yet, the suspicious glare from Snape drawing in far more of her attention.

"Severus where are the bloody bandages?" was asked tiredly.

Hermione felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. Finally getting the nerves to look at him directly she was more than a little upset at what she saw. In his hand rested what appeared to be a healing kit, a poorly put together one. The kit was not what caught her attention though. Instead Hermione found her eyes being drawn towards the bandages covering his body. Half of his face was taped together by white gauze, and even his once platinum hair had specs of dried blood in it. His right arm was casted in what could only be described as a sling. It didn't have any of the proper supports and Hermione could only fathom how much extra pressure he was putting on the wound. Though most of his body was covered by his clothes even she could pick up the less than slight limp and slightly more visible bruises when he walked.

Eventually the young man looked up and she felt his shock at her appearance. It quickly morphed into outrage as the vulnerability and fatigue turned to steel. This mask she knew, it was one of false bravado. As his eyes changed so did his stance. Before he had been putting all his weight onto his right foot, therefore leaving his left free of any burdens. Now he wanted to stand tall and proud, too bad he did a horrible job of it. Maybe to an untrained eye he could pass off as slightly injured but Hermione had been studying long enough to notice when someone was in pain.

Malfoy was not one to be pitied and she heard the derogatory comment long before the words came out of his mouth, "And what is the brat of Gryffindor doing so far away from home? No body guards to shack up with so you came looking for me?"

Briefly she wondered what the gossips were saying about her since two Slytherin's had made comments about her sex life in the last few weeks.

As per their usual dance Professor Snape did nothing to stop him. Hermione did not really expect him too especially after the way she tore apart their plans just a few days prior. A little awareness on the teacher's part would be nice but the world could only perform so many miracles in one day, Neville had done rather well in Defense class despite said teacher singling him out on multiple errors.

Still, with a man like Malfoy breathing down your neck it was hard not to immediately retaliate. Hermione wasn't the average witch though and wasn't prone to outbursts. Dealing with his lot all these years taught one quite a bit about patience, "I haven't seen you in class lately. Rumor has it you are sick."

He seemed to become even angrier at that. It was fairly obvious to anyone with eyes that he was injured beyond a healthy amount. "I could care less about the stupid rumors the occupants of this school whisper."

While he was berating Hermione did another assessment. Why hadn't Madame Pomphrey taken him in? If she had he would be in better shape than this. His bandages would be clean and those dark circles would be gone.

Did this mean his classmates had really done this? The very people he had grown up with. Mentally Hermione flashbacked to the conversations she had been privy to over the week. That his closest friends had been instructed to turn on him either for personal gain or survival.

Her heart shuddered more as she thought of her own friends turning on her for their own gain. Sure they had their arguments and ignored each other at times but nothing violent had ever come about it. If Harry or Ron ever did something like this to her she could not imagine what she would feel. It felt wrong to even consider, no one deserved that type of betrayal. Malfoy was a prat but not evil. It had to be devastating to have his longtime friends attack him. Or at minimum watch as others did. He really was alone.

Hermione was mad at herself getting more upset as she continued to process. She was mad that he had gotten hurt. She was mad that she was the one to initially be asked to treat him. She was mad that he was such a horrible person to her. Mostly she was mad that she cared, because his attitude should have snuffed out any compassion possible.

Without even waiting for either of them to stop her Hermione all but stomped over to Malfoy. He clearly had not been expecting the move and dropped the healing kit in an effort to take a step back. His foot was still hurting though because he stumbled backwards nearly into the doorway. Hermione's hand had caught him as she grasped his wrist. To his credit he did not try to yank himself out of her hold. It appeared she was better to be touched by her than to fall on the floor.

"Miss Granger, unhand Mister Malfoy," spoke Snape. His voice, while not angry was annoyed. For a moment the tone caught her off guard since she figured anything Gryffindor related made him angry. Hermione had a mission though and she was going to follow through, she didn't have time to ponder the ever mysterious Severus Snape.

"Who did this to you?" she countered, purposefully staring a snake in the eye and not blinking.

"Get the hell away from me Granger," He countered this time with a jolt from his arm, now having been steadied and no longer needing her balance. He tried to pull away again but was to uncoordinated with a likely broken foot and slinged arm.

She pushed again, "Was it that coward Nott?"

This time he did pull hard enough for the grip to break. He stepped away from her and glared, "Just leave and be with your saint friends."

It was too much though, the medic in her was reeling. "No freaking way. You are beyond injured and need a proper medic. I can think of at least a dozen potions in this room that while healing should under no circumstances be combined within certain time frames of one another. You are seeing Madame Pomphrey and that is that. Get your stupid self out into the hallway."

He clearly wanted to posture, to remind her of his stronger status as a male. This time though it was the godfather that stepped in to argue, "While your sentiment is appreciated we cannot involve other teachers. To many questions would be asked and occlumency is not a widely practiced skill."

Hermione once again felt that she was surrounded by stupid boys. Turning full force to her professor she stated, "And if he dies because you mixed the wrong ingredients will you be explaining that to Dumbledore? I sat in that room for half an hour as the two of you told me how important this was. That he needed help staging a secret mission as his entire world turned on him. If you really meant that you will get him to Madame Pophrey and say he fell down the stairs or something. I do not know what has been given and the damages are to severe. He needs a professional."

Draco Malfoy responded and she once again found herself turning her attention. She ignored the growing bout of whiplash and internally counted to ten as he stated a very clear, "You should just leave and go be more of a useless bookwork somewhere in a dark hole where no one would ever want to look. I do not need your help or anyone else's. I will figure this shit out on my own. Dumbledore is more ridiculous than I imagined if he ever thought I would work with you."

It happened instinctually. It was like that day in third year where she just became so angry and magic did not seem personal enough. Her fist hit his nose faster than she could blink. When she did come to her senses, blinking repeatedly at her hand that was shaped into a fist and covered in blood, Hermione drew in a deep breath. Cautiously she looked at the boy who was now on the floor and holding his nose, blood gushing out as he looked at her in shock.

Hermione instinctively bit her lip and carefully turned to the adult in the room. To her surprise Professor Snape's palm was covering his eyes as he rubbed his temple with said thumb and forefinger. He looked completely exacerbated and ready to retreat to some hidden away island where no underage anything was present.

Deciding he was not an immediate concern she turned to Malfoy, "So that was an accident, I'm sorry."

He remained on the floor but his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Even with his hand covering his bloody nose he still looked intimating. Moving his hand a bit he stated, "Yes, your fist just _accidentally_ went full force into my face."

She bit her lip again. It was wrong of her to attack him, let alone when he was so defenseless. The boy stood about as well as a newborn calf what with his injuries. Crouching down as far as she could, then dropping to her knees she tried to look at the injury. He moved away from her like she was about to bite him. Sighing she looked at the dropped medical kit. Some unused gauze was still in it so she reached to the side and moved closer to him again, "I said I was sorry. I'm not usually like this, the stupid impulsive stuff is usually Harry's thing."

He scoffed which was immediately regretted based off of the pain on his face. She took advantage of the opportunity though and pressed the clean bandages to his nose. In an attempt to replace the reprimand that was bound to happen Hermione turned towards her professor who was still trying to ignore them. "Can someone just be straight forward with me? What is going on?"

"Piss off," was her response not from the teacher but from the broken boy on the floor.

Malfoy grabbed the gauze from her hand and pressed it more firmly up to his face. He moved it away briefly and put it back after seeing that the blood flow had not stopped. After a few more minutes of silence, and said boy struggling to stand, Malfoy was eventually at the position to where he could properly glare down at her. "Dumbledore is mad if he thought we could ever work together. He deserves what's coming to him."

The level of frustration she could experience from one person was what was truly mad. She remained on the ground though because standing when this overwhelmed with emotions just seemed like to much work. "Dumbledore is probably the only reason you are alive right now. Stop insulting the people who are protecting you from Voldemort," she scowled angrily.

True honest fear crossed his face then, and even Snape turned to give them the proper attention. "Don't say his name!" screamed Malfoy, as if someone who knew more tricks than a right hook was about to walk through the door.

She actually scoffed herself this time, glad to finally be on somewhat even footing again. "Fear of a name increases the fear of the creature itself. I will not give him more power over me than he already has."

Malfoy turned from terror to anger with that comment. His rage at something beyond her words over taking him. "You do not get to say that until you stand next to him as he sucks the life out of everything you know. You have no idea the madness that roams my house. Of what I have been through and witnessed as that vile creature tortures people on my dining room table like some light entertainment before dessert. So you will not say that monster's name in front of me! Not until you have lived what I have."

And there is was, the real reason behind this shift. He was a teenager who had seen true horror and dreamt of it nightly. Malfoy was a person who lived in fear and was desperately searching for safety even if it was with people he still considered enemies. She knew that fear as well, it was a fear she had lived with after nearly dying in the ministry. Those weeks in the medical bay had been riddled with nightmares and pain like she could not fathom. Madame Pomphry had to induce a sleep comma just to keep her from screaming as they removed the dark spells from her system. It was then that she had started her studies in healing and defense. She was determined to never experience that again.

The question was simple though. Was it enough to have him turn sides? Or did he just want a free get out of jail card?

"I understand the fear Malfoy; I have been a victim to multiple dark curses given my blood status and friendship with Harry. What I do not understand is why that would suddenly cause you to turn towards the Order. You hate everything it stands for. It would be easier to run, to go to some foreign country that he would not track you too. The Malfoy's are known for their money, I am sure you could buy safe passage somewhere." She needed to understand this moment; she needed to understand why her entire body was wanted to help him.

"You have no idea what my life is like, don't presume to know anything about me. You see what I want you to see," argued Malfoy once again. Unlike his usual self though his eyes looked down to the ground, as if he feared what looking at her directly might reveal. She noted how he did not answer her question which was frustrating. No part of her believed that he suddenly wanted to fight for equal rights but she appreciated that he had not straight up lied to her. He had his reasons, as he had said before, and it appeared he was not yet willing to share them. Momentarily her eyes travelled up to her now defense teacher. She believed this man knew, but he was to proud a wizard to spill anyone else's secrets.

"The world is a warzone Malfoy. Many other's have grown up in less than ideal situations and haven't acted the way you have. The difference is that they were willing to do what they can to make sure no-one else suffers. You, you just wanted to make others feel what you do, miserable and alone. I assure you, I saw _that_ no matter what you were trying to display to the rest of the world." It came out without thinking, the assessment of him. She should have felt horrid for her words, but instead she felt honest.

His scowl, the one previously directed at her, momentarily faltered. He was obviously not anticipating Hermione Granger to confront him. Potter yes, Weasley without a doubt but Granger was not one to instigate anything on purpose. "I have my reasons."

Her glare hardened. He could not play this game with her, Hermione would not permit it. If she was to turn her back on logic by even considering helping him she needed to give a damn good reason to look back on when it went wayward. So she pressed forward and refused to take no as an answer, "Your reason's are something of a mystery and I will not put the ones I love in danger because daddy didn't give you your full allowance for the week."

Draco actually put full pressure on both of his feet and marched directly up to her. When he was not a breadth away he stated menacingly, "I assure you, if you put me in a room alone with him the last thing I would be doing to talking. That monster would not leave the damn room alive."

The anger and the pain was so real it was as if she could touch it. As if she could hold it in her hand and see the secrets that caused such fury. Her interactions with him had always bordered on cruel and superficial. This felt like she had skimmed a page in his diary and then had the book closed in front of her nose. A book he most assuredly did not want her to read.

Then it happened.

Beyond all comprehensible reason Ron's patronus came bounding through the wall. It shocked everyone present as the creature had made such a sudden entrance into the scene. Snape had taken a step or two back, Malfoy was staring confusedly and Hermione actually had a shocked noise slip out of her lips.

The normally adorable, goofy eared translucent creature was a sight better left unseen at this current moment. As if tracking her scent the creature bound straight for her, all but tripping over its own feet despite being corporeal. Once it circled her for the costmary three dog turn the thing sat on its haunches and proceeded to of all things…howl. Oh dear Merlin it was summoning its owner.

The internal deflating nearly caused her to collapse. The moment she got anything real out of Malfoy and Ron just ends it without any effort?

"Worst timing ever Ron, like in the history of timing you have totally mucked this up." Internally she wondered how close he was and if those magical suits of armor had returned to their post. If they had not Ron had probably taken it as a challenge of some kind. Oddly enough she found herself cursing Moody as well.

"What the actual fuck is that?" yelled Malfoy in shock. It wasn't every day one saw a glowing dog. Even when the dementors had been around third year they had mostly listened to Ministry commend to stay away from the school grounds. It was only Harry they had really bothered.

And it was an odd sight. Its feet and ears where too big and the terrier's tongue seemed incapable of staying in its mouth while it panted. The dog was so Ron it was rather unbelievable. Also knowing how this thing was a manifestation of all the good energy Ron could create she had an inkling that it would want to play. Chase seemed like a rather dog like sport as well.

Deciding that she needed to get rid of the thing Hermione expertly moved her wand to her waistline while standing. With a loud _'Expecto Patronum'_ Hermione watched as her own furry critter came into existence. Inch by inch the light flew from her wand and formed a solid object. The dog, seeing her standing there was confused as to what to do. He wanted to chase after her but as the object so similar to him appeared his excitement grew.

Hermione for her part smiled as the little otter solidified. He all but scurried around the room while swimming through the air. With a nod she motioned towards the dog, "Distract it and fetch me Katie."

With a kiss on its see through cheeks, not to mention the happy flurry it did to show its love, the otter turned towards the dog. In an instant it was circling the terrier. The dog was clearly conflicted as its howl's became broken through clear distraction. Finally it gave completely up on summoning its owner and happily began barking at the little creature. That ended when the terrier, finally put up with the chase immediately began using force to try and catch her furry friend. He lunged for the otter, only to miss and go straight through a table. Her otter bounced from wall to wall in response as it headed right out the door.

The dog, to its credit, briefly looked back at her before taking its new post as an otter catcher and went running down the halls.

Deciding that enough was enough Hermione lowered her wand as she brushed any lose particles of dirt off of her skirt. Nothing of course came off, because the house elves where impeccably good at their job, but she did so anyways. Really, how else was one supposed to finish that little scene? With a brief bow?

"Well, we better finish before Ron shows up. I don't expect him to be as easy to fool as his dog was. He will be the first to cast a fun little hex at Malfoy if he thinks he can get away with it." The statement was true and even though she didn't like the blonde Hermione didn't want to see him dead or watch her friend get expelled.

"Is there a particular reason a patronus is hunting you?" quickly asked Snape before she could change the subject.

Stepping over a turned over chair Hermione laughed, though slightly angrily with the memory of the idiotic game. It was impressive that Ron had managed to convince it to track and not just chase away darkness. He must have been practicing as well. "You can thank your stupid friend Moody for that one. He and his god awful practice drills have me wondering if I should save Vol-" she paused as she remembered Malfoy's reaction before. Out of sheer will to be civil she stated "-he could use a good knock out spell."

"And when did you gain the proficiency to perform that charm? It is not part of the curriculum. Even the basic shield is only introduced to select students in their 7th year," said Snape while attempting to once again steer the conversation.

Hermione peaked around the doorway as she looked for Ron. He would be here any second with a flurry of charms. In an instant she was back by Malfoy's side. No longer caring who he was, just that he was injured and she was determined to help him, Hermione did one more assessment. It was probably an incorrect choice but she stated "No Mudblood comments, no names or purposefully riling me up. I understand this particular situation calls for…discretion so I will keep this to myself but not from Harry. Harry has to know the basics because I will not have him thinking I am keeping something from him. I will not have him thinking he is losing someone else he loves and is once again being left alone due to something he has no control over."

"I do not want you near me Granger. I may have fallen but I haven't lost all of my dignity as of-" Malfoy had been effectively cut off as a screeching noise followed by a triumphant yell filled the halls. It was a clear clattering of armor followed by a male voice.

She turned to Professor Snape, "I cannot heal all that though. You need to take him to the medical ward and say whatever you need to as a cover story. That is my offer."

She did not have time to wait for them to decide. She did not have the luxury of talking things through with them. If there was one thing that was made perfectly clear to her in that room it was that Draco Malfoy was not safe in this castle. Ron would instantly see him and probably mention it at some point. The one safe haven Malfoy had found would be lost and she could only image what would happen then. Walking up to the door she pressed her ear to the wooden barrier. She waited as he passed by, the armor clearly indicating where he was along with his cursing. After a few more seconds she cracked the door open and had to openly cover her mouth from the laughter. The boy was completely surrounded as two of the suits tried to body block him. One hand was still latched onto his ankle, the body nowhere to be found, as it attempted to trip him. The swords were clearly only for fear tactics because they were back in their scabbards.

Now that was amazing to watch.

She snuck out the door and rushed to the nearest connecting hallway. When she got to the intersection she saw a straggling suite of armor looking for its missing helmet. There was no arm on it and she could only guess that this was the one Ron had knocked off. As politely as she could she walked over to the helmet that had rolled to the corner wall. Picking it up she walked over to the suit that was on its hands and knees searching the floor. Placing it out for the headless suit to grab Hermione stated, "Here you go; I found your head by the corner. It is about chest level if you just reach out."

Hermione did not know what to call it since the suit was clearly empty inside. As if in surprise the being stood up and reached out. Grabbing the helmet and placing it on, but backward, Hermione quickly righted it. Not two seconds later she heard more metal clashing. Turning around she watched as Ron ran around the corner. He pointed his wand at the familiar book worm and laughed, "You! You thought you had me!"

Ron's eyes stayed focused on her, she straightened her status. Determined to give nothing away as to why she was in this section of the hallway she attempted to appear as disinterested as she could. "Can I help you Ron?"

He happily strode forward, almost skipping, "The Gryffindor Princess is caught by me! Ronald Weasley! I can't believe I beat Harry!"

With a quick rolling of her eyes Hermione glanced at the door down the hall, "Merlin, I am hexing you just for calling me that stupid name."

He laughed openly with pride. Ron and Hermione had been paired on opposite teams a couple times and while she had lost he had never beaten her on his own, "No offense Hermione but you are not about to out run the future Gryffindor Keeper. You spend too much time reading and studying to top me there."

Ron was not wrong. He spent a ridiculous amount of hours keeping in shape for their quidditch games. Instead of trying to argue Hermione let him continue to gloat. By now the presence of Malfoy and Snape were mostly gone from her current train of thought. All she needed to do was get out of there and finish forming her alliance with Katie Bell. The rules stated that each team was allowed the same number of players and she fully intended to use that little rule to her advantage. Then all they needed to do was make it 12 hours without being brought to Dumbledore's office door.

"You know, I may mostly be book smart but I have learned a thing or two about practical application over the last couple years," she said defensively.

Ron quickly raised his wand to mumble a charm that would never pass his lips. In an instant Hermione pointed her own wand and mumbled "_Avis_". The tip of her want began to glow as birds began to pour out of it. Suddenly the room was filled to the brim with dozens of doves all pouring out of her wand. Hermione watched happily as Ron tried to swat them away from his face. He was failing miserably. With a smile of honest triumph she looked at the furious Ron, she could only see him briefly through the clouds of birds surrounding him, "And the Muggleborn win's again."

He chased her down another hallway angrily while swatting away birds.

Ron growled irritably as he finally pointed his wand at said birds. She saw him starting to form the words of Alarte Ascendare knowing that was one spell he had been working on with Moody and felt herself tense. He would not be doing that if she could help it.

She leaped for a new hallway as the birds still circled the young wizard. She heard the suits of armor shuffling after them but they seemed to be slowing down themselves. Before she stepped through another archway Hermione yelled the second spell,"_Oppugno_."

The birds quickly darted for him as they charged full speed. Ron ducked behind a long side table that was placed in the hallway. The now slightly more stationary suits of armor once again catching up with them after they continued to run back to the main parts of the castle. She assumed that because she had lead Ron back out of the area they were no longer going to be following the pair of them. If she had to guess the other ones waiting by the hallway entrance would most likely let them through as well. Especially if Professor Snape was correct in his assumption that head Master Dumbledore had the castle purposefully lead her in this direction to help Malfoy. By the time the thumping noises had stopped, and the majority of the birds taken care of by the completed Alarte Ascendare spell, Hermione was long gone.

Ron finally re-emerged as he glanced around the empty corridor angry to find Hermione already disappeared. All that stood there were the suits of armor. Two were blocking his entry back to the previous hall and the third was adjusting his head. With a sigh he looked down at his still clamped on foot. Leaning down he grabbed the hand and marched over to the suit. With a huff he flung it at the sentient item, "Stupid Hermione and her stupid spells. How did she even create you guys?" With a huff he kicked a side bench, only to grab his foot in pain. With a furious stomp Ron headed out of the area in disbelief that he once again lost to her.

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Firevixen73 – Hope everyone has been staying safe and doing okay. I finally was able to get into our favorite pair meeting up. How Malfoy will be reacting to this will only be topped by Snape, who will have quite a few opinions in the future. Tell me what you think! This story is not at all formed in my head so any suggestions might be put in.


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